The parable of the blind men and an elephant is an ancient story about a group of blind men who are asked to describe an elephant based on touching it, but they are only allowed to touch one part of the elephant (trunk, leg, ear). Because they describe the elephant based on their partial experience, their descriptions are conflicting. In some versions of the story the men suspect that the others are being dishonest and they come to blows. The moral of the parable is that humans have a tendency to project their partial experiences as the whole truth and ignore other people’s partial experiences. At times, we’re both right and wrong.
Reflections on Life and Leadership